


The Silver Fox - The Discovery

by sagely_sea



Series: The Silver Fox [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fox!Shiro, M/M, Mutual Pining, Post Season 7, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-11
Updated: 2018-10-11
Packaged: 2019-07-29 12:22:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16264115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sagely_sea/pseuds/sagely_sea
Summary: Keith wants to talk to with Shiro and gets a surprise when he finds him. Why does Shiro suddenly have fox ears and a big fluffy fox tail?





	The Silver Fox - The Discovery

**Author's Note:**

> This is an excuse to imagine Shiro as a literal silver fox. Though somehow more and more plot kept being thrown in by Keith's mental ramblings.

Keith typically respected people’s privacy and personal boundaries but this was Shiro. And he knew that when Shiro was in his bedroom he didn’t always hear people knocking on his door. He just wasn’t used to having to listen so carefully for people wanting his attention in such a bigger space after the smaller rooms on the castle or just living in the lions. 

So when Shiro didn’t answer Keith’s knock, he thought nothing of letting himself into Shiro’s quarters and stepping into the dim living room area and closing the door behind him. He saw light coming from Shiro’s bedroom and he could hear movement behind the partially opened door. Maybe Shiro was getting changed into some training gear and could be convinced to spar with him. Once he sorted out the Lance problem anyway.

“Shiro, you wouldn’t believe what Lance wants to do now,” Keith started as he flicked on the light for the living room. “I seriously need you to tell Lance once and for all that you're not going to allow a space soccer match between Voltron and Atlas. I don't care how big Atlas is, he's not going to make a good goalkeeper. He’s too slow.” Keith picked up a couch cushion and half fluffed it up and half beat it into submission before tossing it back on the couch and moving to Shiro’s bedroom door. He had to be dressed by now. Not that they hadn’t seen each other in all kinds of undress when living in the lions. But that was space and Keith figured some respect for the rules had to be shown when back at the Garrison. 

“It doesn’t even make sense because Lance isn't even a leg anymore so I don't know why he's so exci-" Keith cut off his rant as he entered the bedroom and noticed Shiro. Shiro who was standing in the middle of a messy room and clutching at a hastily grabbed blanket as if to shield himself while giving Keith a panicked look. Shiro never looked at Keith like that. He had no reason to. And Keith certainly wasn’t about to worry about seeing a few of Shiro’s scars. And he would have wondered why Shiro was suddenly so shy when he finally spotted what Shiro was obviously scrambling to hide.

A big fluffy tail... 

And a pair of silver ears nestled in his hair...

Keith may not be the most sociable person around, but even he knew that the Garrison had jokes about Shiro being a silver fox since he'd returned from space. it worked well with how he looked and the meaning of his name. Shirogane Kitsune was whispered as much as silver fox. But Keith didn't expect it to be literal. 

He had one moment where he thought Shiro might have been planning on pulling the biggest of all jokes on the garrison by walking out in uniform with fox ears and a tail. But that wasn’t really Shiro’s style, at least not since the Galra. 

Besides, not even Altean or Galra tech was good enough to make ears twitch like that or a tail bristle and move like it was even as Shiro tried to hold it back. 

Which meant Shiro had an honest to goodness tail like some Galra and other aliens had and big fluffy ears. But he hadn’t had them that morning when they had breakfast together. And he was pretty damned sure he would have heard about the addition if they’d suddenly popped out on the deck of the Atlas. Which meant sometime since Shiro had retired for the day they’d appeared. 

Was it the first time? Or was this regular occurrence? 

Keith knew that Shiro wasn’t in his original body. So did the clone have some weird fox genes spliced into him? Or was it always part of Shiro's DNA. He was Japanese and those legends of fox gods could easily have some basis in fact.

It wasn’t something Keith would have even considered several years ago. But he was half alien and flew a giant lion robot around space, so he was no longer as sceptical as he used to be. But did that mean that all of the clones had that ability? Or was it tied to Shiro's essence and that meant he could do it but the clone wasn’t able to? Was that as much as he could transform? Could he turn completely into some fox spirit? Could he control it? Did he have magical powers? 

Keith had a million questions. And they were all fighting to get out of his mouth. He knew he had to say something because Shiro was tense as if expecting an attack or a condemnation which was ridiculous. Keith would fight the universe and travel it twice over for Shiro. He didn’t give a damn about what appendages Shiro had or didn’t have. 

It was just so surprising that it took a moment for his brain to reboot take in the facts and form a question.

"Can I pet you?" Keith suddenly blurted out. And then immediately wanted to die. What an embarrassing question to ask. 

But it made the tension in Shiro’s shoulders relax and he even smiled a bit so maybe dying of embarrassment was worth it.

"I'm not your space wolf," Shiro said. 

After a moment of hesitation, he tossed the blanket back onto the bed letting Keith see more of the big and fluffy tail. Okay, now he really wanted to pet it. Maybe just stick his face in it and see if it felt as soft and warm as it looked. 

"Are you sure? Because you look just as fluffy and soft." Keith really wished that his mouth had more of a filter when he was around Shiro. 

Shiro huffed and crossed his arms and Keith still wasn’t quite used to seeing Shiro’s Altean arm floating and disconnected when he did things like that. It was still better than before though. Shiro was strong and independent and he did well for himself with just one arm but Keith knew that Shiro was grateful to Allura for giving him a new arm that was just as natural to use as the Galran one was but without any of the horrible memories associated with it. 

Keith was so distracted by the movement of Shiro’s arms, and the tail, so he missed what Shiro had said. “Sorry, what?”

“Keith… is that really what you want to ask?” Shiro said looking fondly exasperated at him. 

“Well… not only that.” He rather thought his other questions would be obvious. He was the one who was half alien and even he didn’t randomly sprout a tail and furry ears. At least he hoped he didn’t. Krolia did warn that because Galra lived longer they went through puberty later and that a second Galra puberty might come and affect Keith in ways they couldn’t predict. Just what he wanted, a second puberty that nobody knew anything about because he was the only Human and Galra hybrid they knew about. 

“Are you okay? You seem to have a lot on your mind,” Shiro said and stepped a little closer to him, his arms uncrossing so he could reach with his human arm to place on Keith’s shoulder. 

And wasn’t that just like Shiro? To be freaking out about being discovered with a fox tail and ears but still being concerned about how Keith was doing. He couldn’t blame the Garrison gossipers for obsessing over Shiro. The man was perfection, even with his flaws. 

“There’s just been a lot going on. And maybe this,” Keith gestured to Shiro, “was the tipping point.” They all had so much to take in from their time in space and what the Galra had done to Earth not to mention all the personal things that had come from their time away. Not that all of it was bad. But they all were in desperate need of some downtime. Flying on a space whale for two years hardly counted as a vacation and recovering in the hospital was even worse. 

It’s not that Keith wasn’t ready or willing to fight to protect the universe but the second it was over, he was grabbing Shiro, and getting his wolf to take them somewhere quiet and beautiful so they could both properly relax. Because if he was stressing out, he could only imagine what Shiro was going through. Shiro had been through hell and back as some twisted Champion and had even died fighting the Galra before being forced into a sort of evil clone’s body. And now he was in charge of Atlas. Definitely overdue for a holiday or ten. 

“Would petting me make you feel better?” Shiro asked after a moment. 

“Maybe. It can’t make it worse,” Keith said and tried to hold back how excited he was at the prospect of touching that fluffy tail. Was that a serious offer? “Are you going to tell me about it?” 

“There’s not much to tell.” 

“You have ears and a tail, Shiro. Somehow I think there’s more to tell than you’re letting on.” 

Shiro stepped back and moved to the bed and sat down. He patted the space beside him and Keith quickly took up the invitation. Being next to Shiro was as natural as breathing. 

“It’s not that different from you being half Galra,” Shiro said. He then shifted around for a moment as he pulled his fox tail around between them. “Go ahead. I know you won’t listen until you get it out of your system. Just don’t pull.” 

Keith rolled his eyes at the warning for small kids about pulling on animals’ fur. He had a space wolf. He knew how to handle a fluffy tail. But he wasn’t about to say anything that might make Shiro take back his offer. So he carefully reached out and gently brushed fingers through the silver and white fur. It was soft. And there was just so much of it. 

He quickly buried both hands into the fluffy fur and pet Shiro’s tail, happily watching the way the tail would twitch and how his fingers would disappear into the fur. Amazing. He wasn’t so entranced though that he didn’t notice the soft sigh Shiro made and when he glanced up he saw Shiro biting his lip. 

“Should I stop?” Keith asked, his hands already stilling where they were on Shiro’s tail. 

“No. It’s fine… I’m just not used to anyone touching it.” 

That made sense but Keith still decided to take one hand back and just gently pet with his other just to be safe. He didn’t want to make Shiro uncomfortable. “Can you change completely into a fox?” He had the cutest image of a silver fox curled up next to Kosmo and was sure he’d die from the cuteness if that ever happened. 

“Yes. But it takes a lot of effort and there’s really not any advantage to that form. Also…” He glanced down at the tech arm that was sitting on the bed on the other side of him and Keith understood. Shiro didn’t know how the alien technology would work if he tried to change forms. 

“I get it. But you’re crushing my dreams of rubbing your belly,” Keith said trying to lighten the mood a little at Shiro potentially losing what was possibly a natural ability that he liked.

It wasn’t until Shiro’s tail fluffed up under his hand and he noticed Shiro blushing that his words registered. Whoops. It was hard to say when exactly it started between the clone, the battles, and both of them in recovery at various points. But sometime between returning with Krolia and Kosmo and saving Earth they seemed to become aware of each other as more than friends. And while neither of them had actually said anything about it, these moments of tension or awkwardness kept popping up between them.

It was something they really needed to talk about and figure out. Because if Shiro was interested in exploring things between them on a more intimate level than Keith was completely open to that. But if Shiro wanted to just stay friends then Keith would beat his desires down and be the best damn friend Shiro could ever ask for. 

But things kept coming up to delay that talk. Mostly the Galra doing evil things that had to be stopped but also friends and family with horrible timing, hospital stays, and now a fox tail. 

Probably not the best time to ask Shiro if he wanted to do naughty naked things with him. Even if those ears and tail would be making starring roles in his fantasies for the next little while. He bet it would be awesome to pet Shiro’s ears or tug on them lightly as Shiro bent over his lap and put his mouth to wo- Keith quickly killed that thought before his body could react to it. Now was not the time. 

“I wouldn’t want Kosmo to get jealous. Besides, it really is something I’ve rarely done. My grandmother preferred that form though,” Shiro said. Thankfully he seemed oblivious to the trip to the gutter Keith’s mind had taken. And was even kind enough to carry on the conversation as if Keith didn’t just say he wanted to rub Shiro all over like a pervert. 

“You said it was like me being half Galra. So someone in your family tree mated with a what? Fox spirit? A fox alien?” 

Shiro shrugged a little at that, causing his Altean hand to lift off the bed a little before settling back down. Keith’s eyes couldn’t help tracking it. They really needed a day with Pidge and Hunk to figure out just everything that the arm could do. Because he was sure that it was capable of more than Allura had planned on. 

And he really must be tired or out of sorts to have his thoughts always drifting like this. The Blades had trained him better than this. Even Shiro had instilled in him better focus than this. But there was something about being so close to Shiro that just dropped his guard and told him it was safe to let his thoughts wander a little. 

“It was my great-grandmother on my mother’s side that got a bit adventurous with bed partners. Before everything, I would have said it was a fox spirit. But now… well after everything we’ve seen maybe it’s some alien race or maybe there’s just more to our own planet than we know about.” 

“Yeah… I guess we’ve seen enough now that we can’t dismiss anything completely anymore. So you have fewer abilities than your Mom and stuff?” Keith asked still curious how all of this worked even if they may not know exactly what the fox creature was. Probably not some diety like folklore would say but definitely still more powerful than humans.

“I have some abilities she doesn’t. But I would say hers are more useful. Maybe if I had some of her or my grandmother’s skills I could ha-” 

 

“Hey. None of that. You survived. Don’t think about the what-ifs,” Keith said sharply. He was not going to let Shiro wander the dark paths of what-ifs to memories that Keith knew for a fact still kept Shiro up at night.

“You’re right. I guess with my abilities appearing again and causing trouble I can’t help but think about that it would be worth it if I could use this for anything.” 

“Again?” Keith asked. 

Shiro let out a sigh and Keith imagined he would have flopped back onto the bed if that wouldn’t have squished his tail. 

“These powers tend to manifest when we’re young… When I had more energy after returning from Black I tried to call out the features. Nothing happened. At first, I thought I was still just recovering so I wasn’t too worried. But even after I was better, I still couldn’t do this.” Shiro gestured to his tail and Keith ran his hand down it to smooth out some of the fluffed up fur. Shiro gave him a light smile and Keith wondered if tail petting was therapeutic to the both of them and if they shouldn’t do it every day now. Maybe he’d suggest it if Shiro and him ever got around to talking about things. 

“So you thought that the clone’s body didn’t have the right whatever to do it?” 

“Exactly. None of the blood tests I got ever showed anything it shouldn’t. So maybe it wasn’t something in my DNA that could be replicated.” 

Keith frowned at the reminder about Shiro once being sick. He hated what the Galra empire did to Shiro but he couldn’t help but be a little thankful that they had somehow cured him of his disease. 

“So you gave up on it all together?” 

“We had other things to worry about. And I figured once we returned to Earth and maybe had a quiet moment - hey, don’t laugh. Quiet moments happen.” 

“Sure they do. Right before everything blows up in our faces,” Keith said. 

“Okay. That might be mostly true. But we’ve had some good times out in space. And plenty of downtime where all we did was train. So I was sure I could find time to talk to my family. See if they had any ideas. But then this happened…” 

“That wasn’t on purpose?” That was worrisome. Keith might not care that Shiro could sprout extra fluffy appendages in need of petting but he had a feeling that not everyone else would be as cool about it. Though they probably would be less freaked out about it now that Earth had aliens visiting from all across the galaxy. Still, Shiro was their golden poster boy. You didn’t go and stick fluffy fox ears on the golden poster boy. 

“I was feeling off all morning. So I excused myself as soon as I could. And I only just managed to get back here when this happened. The first transformation is often unpredictable like that,” Shiro explained. 

“So even though you’re in adult body, your uh… fox spirit thing thought you were a newborn and needed a few years to come into your powers?” That was weird to think about. Because when Keith looked at Shiro he saw a very mature and strong adult. Nothing about him even whispered child to him. But apparently, that’s not how the fox spirit saw things. 

“That’s the only thing I can think of. Fortunately, I already know how to control everything but it will still take some time for the spirit to settle,” Shiro said. 

“Ah… you can’t hide the ears yet,” Keith said figuring out why Shiro was still in his room and not off being the amazing Captain he was. 

“They should go away sometime during the night. And now that I know it’s possible, I’ll know what to look for the next time I feel them coming on.” 

“Just what you need. One more complication.” It sometimes seemed like Shiro could never catch a break. And it wasn’t like Shiro couldn’t take on a lot and shoulder more than his fair share of a burden. But Keith was protective of the man who had saved him and wanted to take on as much of those burdens as he could from Shiro. 

“It’s not such a bad one. I know I said the powers are pretty useless but I still missed it.” 

“Alright. Just let me know if I can help.” 

Actually… there is one thing,” Shiro said. 

“Anything.” Keith didn’t even hesitate with that. There was nothing that Shiro could ask for that Keith wouldn’t willingly do for him. 

“Can you go grab me some lunch. I was on my way there when I started feeling off. And now I’m just starving. It takes a lot to grow these the first time,” Shiro said and to prove his point, his stomach let out a well-timed grumble. 

Keith couldn’t help it. He laughed and that caused Shiro to chuckle, too. 

“Sure. I’ll grab us some food. And you can make some calls and tell everyone we’re in some super secret planning meeting for how to best train Atlas and Voltron together or something. That way I can keep you company.” 

Shiro lit up at the suggestion and immediately stood to grab his datapad from off the dresser. “Done. And get extra helpings if you can.” 

Keith would grab all the damn food in the cafeteria if it got him more of those happy and soft smiles from Shiro. “Will do. I’ll be back in twenty.” Maybe in fifteen if he roped Kosmo into helping him out.

“I look forward to it.” Shiro’s tail was swaying behind him and Keith’s eyes tracked the movement for a moment before he remembered he was supposed to be going. 

“See you soon,” He said. And then nearly walked into the doorway as he headed out of the room. Shiro was always distracting to be around but now with a floating arm and a tail, Keith wasn’t sure how he was supposed to focus on anything else. 

And the soft snort of laughter told him that even though Shiro was focused on his datapad, he hadn’t missed Keith’s smooth moves to avoid walking into the door. Just great. But he’d put up with any level of embarrassment to spend more time with Shiro or to be trusted so easily with the man’s secrets.

Keith left Shiro’s rooms and all but ran to the cafeteria set on getting back as soon as he could. Maybe if they were going to spend the rest of the day together and insist on no interruptions they could finally have some time to themselves and sort things out. 

Maybe even by the end of it, he could brag to the Garrison that he’s the one that tamed their silver fox.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Voltron fic I've published. It's not at all what I thought I would post first for Voltron but the muses were inspired and this is what they made me do. I hope you enjoyed it and will leave me a kudos or a quick comment to encourage me as I explore a new fandom.


End file.
